Since its arrival in 2015, the Apple Watch continues to become a more important part of the iPhone ecosystem with improvements to both the hardware and software sides of the equation.

The wearable device has grown more useful and powerful, especially with the bigger screen of the Series 4 model. But there’s likely one big part of it you’re overlooking—the main Apple Watch face. Apple has included a number of different options for you to select from and customize.

We’re here to help you better understand how to see all the different watch face options, add them to your Apple Watch, how to customize each with complications or other touches, and more.

How to Add an Apple Watch Face

There are two ways to add and customize any face for your Apple Watch.

Add an Apple Watch Face on the Watch Itself

The most obvious way is on the wearable device itself. Just Force Touch, which is a long press-and-hold, on your current face. Swiping left and right will show you all the current faces already on the Apple Watch.

Swipe all the way to the left and you’ll see the New option. Press the Plus button, and you can then scroll through the all different options with the Digital Crown or on the screen.

It is possible to add more than one type of face—like the Siri face—to a watch at one time. When you find a face to add, just do a quick press to add it to your Apple Watch. To customize it, Force Touch and then select Customize.

Add an Apple Watch Face via the Watch App

The best way to add and customize faces, especially if you’re new to the Apple Watch, is through the companion Watch app on your iPhone. Open up the app and then select the Face Gallery tab at the bottom of the screen. All the faces are available to view on the larger iPhone screen.

Scroll down to see all the available faces. You can also scroll left on a specific choice to see a few highlighted options that are already customized.

When you find an option you’d like to add to the Watch, just tap the face. The next page provides a short description of the choice and allow you to see the different color, style, and complication options. Hit Add to send the face option to your Apple Watch.

If you ever want to delete a face, you have two different ways to accomplish the task. On the Apple Watch, Force Touch a face and then swipe up. You’ll then need to select the Remove button.

On the Watch app, select the My Watch tab. In the My Faces section, select Edit. Choose the red Minus icon on the face to remove and then hit the Remove text on the right side as a final confirmation.

How to Customize an Apple Watch Face

Along with the wide variety of faces available—everything from visually beautiful to more practical options—there are many additional ways to make each watch face option your own.

There are a number of different complication options from both Apple and third-party developers. You’ll need to have the corresponding app installed on your iPhone to use the complication on the Watch.

Most complications small bits of information, like a sports score or the current weather conditions, to easily view on the watch face. Some apps even allow you to select what information to display on the Apple Watch screen.

You can view the entire list of available complications by selecting Complications in the My Watch tab of the iOS app. You can delete a complication by selecting Edit and then hitting the Minus icon to the left of the selection. Hit Remove on the right side to complete the task.

Changing Complications

To add or change a complication on a face, Force Touch your Apple Watch screen and then select Customize. Select a specific complication slot so it is highlighted in green and shows the name; for example, Wind. You can use the Digital Crown to scroll through the complications available for that slot.

When you’re done selecting complications, just push the Digital Crown again to save the changes and jump back to the face.

To set complications in the Watch app, select a face in the My Faces section of the My Watch tab. Scroll down to view the different complication options for the face.

Along with customizing your watch face, complications provide another great advantage. You can press the complication to automatically start the corresponding Watch app. Using complications, you can really personalize your Watch however you’d like with the most important information front and center.

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Joel

November 2, 2018 at 3:06 pm

I am new to the Apple Watch and coming up to speed. While I am generally happy with it, there are several disappointments that will be overcome with software upgrades.
1. There are many watch face options. Unfortunately the complications available on those faces are pretty limited. For example one of the reasons for choosing the Apple Watch was that it had an app to control my hearing aids. But I've only found one watch face that supports it. The same can be said for Apple TV. I wish the Infograph and Infograph Modular faces supported all the possible complications.
2. My previous fitness tracker made it possible at a glance to see how I was doing on my steps goal. Now I need to scroll through the activity app for that information. It would be good if that could be seen at a glance. And how about being able to set my own goals? One size does not fit all.
3. The apps screen is very cluttered. It would be great to be able to choose which apps are visible and free up space for the ones we want. Moving the frequently used apps to the center helps but it isn't a great solution. Same can be said of the dock although that may become my best solution.
I have gotten a little help from Apple, but for the most part it sounds like they are holding back on these obvious drawbacks for future product introductions.

Born and raised in sunny west Texas, Brent graduated from Texas Tech University with a BA in journalism. He's been writing about technology for more than 5 years and enjoys all things Apple, accessories, and security.